The ancient Olympics were held at Olympia every 4 years to honor the Greek gods Zeus and Hera. There was a truce made saying that every city-state pay for a few athletes to go to Olympia. Only men could compete and they had to swear they had trained for 10 months. There were fewer events and only men who spoke Greek competed. A man who committed a crime or stolen from a temple was banned.
Training
An athlete started training from early childhood. The kids had 3 types of trainers, who were called the Paidotribes, Gymnastes, and the Aleiptes. An athlete had to arrive in Elis one month before the games. Once there, they continued training in the arenas. Runners, pentathletes, wrestlers, boxers, and boys trained in separate arenas. If anyone cheated, they were fined by the judges.
Women
Women, if they were caught attending the games, were thrown off Mount Tyraeum. Footraces held outside of the stadium were run by unmarried women wearing short tunics. Young adults fathers sometimes took them to the games hoping they would get married to one of the winning athletes.
Winning Athletes
When an athlete won, he received an olive wreath of victory. When the athletes went home, their cities greeted them with celebrations. An athletes victory meant a god favored him and was immortalized for accomplishments. When they went home, they received rewards. Some were permitted to fight beside the king, have their names put in public places, and given free meals at Pyratoneion for life. The family of the athlete had statues of the put in Olympia.
Fun Facts
The Olympics had begun in 776 B.C. As Greece lost power, the Olympic Games fell apart. Religious parts were forgotten and the idea of fair play did too. The Olympic Games ended in 394 A.D. The Olympic Games had been held for nearly 1,200 years.